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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25505155">Breaking Branches</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple'>Mersheeple</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hearts&amp;Cauldrons Prompts [37]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, Minor Violence, Ron Weasley Bashing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 04:55:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>433</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25505155</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mersheeple/pseuds/Mersheeple</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>She's seen how this ends before. Not this time.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Severus Snape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Hearts&amp;Cauldrons Prompts [37]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1805746</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>81</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Breaking Branches</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viridiantly/gifts">Viridiantly</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The lyrics I was given for this sadly made me go directly this way. No, I do not think that Ron would ever be violent towards her. But domestic situations, as many know, take many forms.</p>
<p>I love you all. &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She had lived this moment a hundred times it felt like. She would ask for one small favour, one small bit of kindness and he would balk and ignore her. And then come crawling back a few days later with a bunch of flowers and a promise that next time would be better. She had had it up to here with him, with his childish posturing, with his heavy handed fumblings. She was done. She sat him down and spoke to him softly.</p>
<p>“Ronald, I love you, you know I do. I always will. But I can’t keep doing this anymore. It feels like I spend every day waiting for the other shoe to drop.”</p>
<p>“There’s someone else isn’t there? It’s him isn’t it? Snape. Your ‘Master’. I’ve seen the way he looks at you…” Ron was on his feet, yelling and crowding over her, making her feel small. She flinched away and knew she had made a mistake.</p>
<p>“Merlin’s sake Hermione! You make me feel like a monster! I’m not going to hit you!” He sprayed her with spittle as he got angrier and she sucked in a breath, desperately trying not to cry. No. Enough. She was done. It was over.</p>
<p>“It isn’t about you hitting me Ronald. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t keep feeling scared around you. I know the way this goes. I’ve seen movies like this and I don’t like the ending. I can’t do this.” He loomed over her still and, shaking, feeling sick, feeling utterly terrified, she concentrated very hard and Disapparated.</p>
<p>She arrived with a crack, landing strangely, half-crouched. With nothing behind her she fell to her butt, sitting with a thump. She heard an alarm going off inside the house she had apparated to and she moved swiftly, standing up and holding her hands in front of her, signalling her lack of threat. The door to the house opened as the alarm quieted and she met the eyes of the one person she trusted right now.</p>
<p>“Come on then. You’ll get cold out there.” He waved her into his house and she stumbled slightly in her relief. He reached an arm out to her and she gripped him carefully. He hauled her bodily against him and crushed her into a tight hug.</p>
<p>“You’re safe now Hermione. He won’t come here.” She nodded into his chest and then pulled back, giving him a weak smile.</p>
<p>“The horror movie is over now isn’t it?” Severus nodded, giving her his happy half smile.</p>
<p>“Time to change the ending. Nobody dies. Everyone lives. Everything gets better.”</p>
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